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Deep Silver Steps Up to Publish Shenmue 3

Deep Silver, a frequent collaborator with Japanese developers, will bring Shenmue 3 to consumers worldwide in 2018.

Ys Net, the development studio responsible for the upcoming Shenmue 3, announced today that it has partnered with Deep Silver to bring the title to consumers worldwide, on both PlayStation 4 and PC. The game will be available at retail and digitally, with release expected during the second half of 2018.

Shenmue 3, the long-anticipated follow-up to 2001’s Shenmue II, was revealed during Sony’s pre-E3 media briefing in 2015. The announcement was accompanied by a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign that raised $6,333,295 USD, despite launching with a more modest goal of $2,000,000.

“I am very pleased to secure this global partnership with Deep Silver, which is comprised of incredible men and women who have a deep passion for bringing Japanese titles to the rest of the world,” said Yu Suzuki, director of Shenmue 3 and the CEO of Ys Net. “Throughout this process, Deep Silver has expressed a deep passion for Japanese games, the Shenmue franchise and its fans—this gives me further confidence in Shenmue III and that we have found the best partner possible.”

Since 2003, Deep Silver has published a variety of games on numerous platforms, particularly in Europe. In that region, it has published major Japanese titles including Persona 5 and Valkyria Revolution, along with various crowdfunding projects such as Mighty No. 9 and Wasteland 2, among others.

“Shenmue is one of a few game franchises that have historical value whilst continuing to ignite passion across gamers,” said Dr. Klemens Kundratitz, CEO of Koch Media/Deep Silver. “We are delighted to have signed this publishing partnership and look forward to utilizing our global publishing network to maximize the potential of this highly anticipated game.”

Shenmue has always been an ambitious project, and it’s hard to say how the third installment will fare in today’s more competitive industry. Are you looking forward to finally spending more time with the characters introduced in the Dreamcast originals?

Jason Venter

Contributing Editor

Jason Venter has been playing video games since he fell in love with the NES in 1988, and has been writing about them for almost as long (though he didn't receive any money for his efforts until he got his big break writing for Hardcore Gamer Magazine). When he's not playing or writing about games, he's usually reading or writing genre fiction, or hanging around on social media. Follow him @jasonventer on Twitter.